Pacioretty was placed on injured reserve on Monday morning and is labelled week-to-week by the Maple Leafs.
When Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving left Scotiabank Arena on Saturday night, he feared Max Pacioretty's injury could be long-term.
But on Monday, when Treliving arrived at Ford Performance Centre, he received better news than previously thought.
"Yeah, it's unfortunate, right? And he's been through a lot. And then I think he's been a real good addition to our group. And I think he's had an impact on all the games he's played in," Treliving said following practice on Monday.
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"Now, the good news is, to be honest, leaving the rink on Saturday night, I thought it was going to be longer than the news we got here this morning. So we'll just have to see. We'll see how he responds to treatment. But it's going to be several weeks."
Pacioretty left after the first period of Saturday's game against the Montreal Canadiens with a lower-body injury. He was pushed by Canadiens' defenseman Mike Matheson and tried to catch himself before awkwardly falling to the ice.
The 35-year-old immediately grabbed the back of his left thigh and couldn't put any pressure on it as he skated to the bench. John Tavares and Ryan Reaves helped Pacioretty off the ice where the Maple Leafs staff assisted him to Toronto's room.
"Well, [the news is] bad enough. That's for sure. I mean, that's a loss. I mean, this guy was playing good hockey for us. You know, really that power forward hockey with his physicality and his ability to hang on to pucks in the offensive zone, score some goals and things like that," Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube said on Monday.
"So it's unfortunate for him and us, you know, I feel for him. You know, with the injuries over the years he's had the last few years and, you know, so. But, you know, he'll grind through it. He's a worker and a very good pro. He'll get back."
Pacioretty signed a one-year, $873,770 with Toronto on Oct. 7 after joining the team on a professional tryout for training camp. He has two goals, four assists, and is averaging 12:11 of ice time through his first 13 games with the Maple Leafs.
After Pacioretty left Saturday's game, Bobby McMann was moved up to play alongside John Tavares and William Nylander. McMann was in the same spot at practice on Monday.
"I thought that, you know, (McMann's) a similar player to Pacioretty," Berube said on Saturday night when asked how McMann looked in place of Pacioretty, who left the game.
"Strong guy, skates well, and, you know, finishes checks with that line. I didn't mind Bobby at all."